Description

Joe Danger is a motorcycle stunt racing game similar to Excitebike and Trials HD, but with a cartoon look. Players control daredevil Joe Danger during his comeback after being out of commission for many years following a serious crash. He has to complete different levels filled with obstacles, progressing through a career mode. Each level has one or more specific objectives that can be completed in different sessions, such as finishing within a certain time, collecting all stars, coins, or the letters of DANGER, continuously performing combos, activating all targets, finding hidden stars, or beating all opponents. Completing these objectives is rewarded with gold stars that are used to unlock new challenges. Not all objectives on all levels need to be completed to progress. There also some special levels where Joe needs to launch himself to knock over bowling pins, similar to a mode from the Flatout series. While in the air aftertouch can be applied to parachute or cannonball.

The gameplay is very arcade-like. Separate buttons or keys are used to speed up and down, Joe can duck, and jump over obstacles, and activate boosts. Ramps are used for jumping over cars or shark-filled pools and in mid-air Joe can performs stunts such as supermans and cowboys, or many consecutive spins. Even though the focus is on speed, it is possible to backtrack and there are slower sections with launch pads and hidden areas, introducing platform and exploration elements. Joe is able to jump and double jump (combined with boost) to reach higher areas. There are checkpoints to restart a certain section when crashing. Performing stunts along with wheelies keeps the boost meter filled to perform more dangerous stunts, encouraged by the cheering of the public. There are also race sequences against other opponents who can be knocked down.

Racing is done in a single line through levels, but at special junctions it is possible to swerve into another lane, with different layers to the level layout, similar to LittleBigPlanet. Items and objectives are often divided over different racing paths, so levels sometimes need to be replayed multiple times to complete all objectives. There are also separate sandbox levels to perform stunts without direct objectives.

The game comes with a built-in editor where new courses can be designed and they can be shared with friends. Editing can even be done while racing, dropping objects and changing the course while Joe is driving. Sometimes the editor needs to be accessed in the career mode to alter or remove obstacles in order to complete the levels. Multiplayer is supported with different game modes. The later released Xbox 360, PC and PS Vita versions contains new playable characters and 50 new levels in a new environment called The Laboratory.